“I would have preferred to wake up to a different reality”

While some children are at school, others wander around the corners of the village. Among them Khadidja, 14, who helps her mother with housework. "When I see my friends going to school, my heart breaks," she says.

Pogoua Tchaboli is a rural community located in the region of Tillaberi, North-central Niger, bordering Burkina Faso. The population’s livelihood is mainly through agriculture and livestock. Khadidja has lived there since birth.

In 2012, Khadidja suffered a serious leg injury. "It has been six years since I got injured. I remember when my mother and I went to Niamey for the baptism of my nephew. As we got back, my foot started to swell. After two weeks, the swelling broke through the skin making the bone visible. This happened right at the beginning of the rainy season. I could not walk anymore. I spent months lying in bed. I was completely demoralized.  While the other children were going to school, I was sentenced to a bed. I felt helpless,” Khadidja said, full of emotion.

After a few months of treatment, Khadidja regained the use of her leg. She now could walk again thanks to the sacrifices her mother, Habsatou made. "There is nothing that hurts me more than seeing my daughter in such a situation because our family is already in a precarious situation," says Habsatou.

With the support of World Vision Niger through the Saving Groups approach, Habsatou has managed to offset the health expenses of her daughter.

"My biggest desire is to be able to go to school like other girls my age," says Khadidja. "On the other hand, I am afraid of permanently losing the use of my leg because the bleeding still persists to date,” she added.

Day after day, Khadidja lives in the hope of the total recovery of her leg. "Last week, I dreamed that my wound was completely healed and that I played hopscotch at school. I would have preferred to wake up to a new reality. However, I have faith that my future will be better," says Khadidja.